Incandescent electric-lamp socket



BEST AVAlLABLE COP W. P. WOLLIN &'E. H. WERLINB.

INGANDESOENT ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET. No. 398,733.

(No Model.)

num-

N. FEYERs vhomrlmm amv Walvinglofl. 0.6.

, IZ Fes/dance 00/7 Patented Nov. 27, 1888.

BESTAVAlLABLECOP' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VlhLlAMF. \VOLLlN, OF l..-'\N(.AS'1ER., AND ELMER ll. \YER'LIXE, ()lr \\'ll.-

LIAMSPORT, ASSIGT ORS OF lll'() FlI'IR-DS TO HARRY l (.(lCllRAN, OF

LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC-LAMP SOCKET.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,733, dated November 27, 1888.

Application filed September 24, 1887. Serial No. 250,565. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, WILLIAM F. Woman,

of Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster, and

ELMER H. WEnLINE, of Williamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'lncandescent Electric-Light Lamp sockets; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to often desirable to diminish the amount of light without extinguishing it. Ye are well aware of the fact that numerous devices have already been invented for this purpose; but in these inventions the sockets have been bulky, or two lamps and two keys have been some to manipulate.

springs. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the circuitcontroller. Fig. 8 is a similar view of the fixed sleeve. jl ig. 9 is an elevation of the complete socket.'

its bottom closed by a brass cup, (1. B designates the incandescent thread or wire within this globe for, illumination by incandescence.

C designates a tubular case or neck of sheet metal, spirally grooved to receive a threaded l i I l I A designates the globe of the lamp, having 1 i collar, or, which holds the external shell, 11

the series of resistance-boxes used in some of these sockets.

Our invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings which accompany i this specification, in which similar letters rc-Y fer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side view of the Edison lampsocketwith the cover removed, showing our l invention as applied to this socket when the i in place.

I) designates the metal frame of the lampsocket, having an inwardly-extending sleeve, (1, rigid with its side. The inner-end of this sleeve is provided with an oblique groove, (1, having curved recesses or seats 1, 2, and 3 formed in its outer wall, these seats being successively farther from the outside of the frame C in the order named. A circuit-controller, E, in the form of a cylindrical rod, with a handle, e, outside of the frame and casing, turns axially in said fixed sleeve, and has a stud, E, working in said groove. The obliquity of said groove gives longitudinal motion to said circuit-controller as the latter-is turned, and said necessary, which makes it much more trouble- \Viih our socket we use i but-one lamp and one key and do away with stud engages with any one of the seats or re- -csscs l 2 5-), to hold the circuit-controllertemporarily in anyone oi the positions of inward :uljusinu-mt. The tip c of this circuit-controllcris of non-eonductingmaterial and bears against a curved spring, F, which is attached to a plate, f, rigid with frame l),butseparated therefrom by a non-cond ucting disk, G, at the top of said frame. This spring extends up through a slot, g, in said disk G to a point just below the metal cup 11. Its contact with this cup is essential to complete any electric circuit within the lamp. In its normal position this contact is not. made and the lamp does not operate. This is its condition when the. stud E is in seat 1. as shown in Fig. 1; but by turning the circuit-cont roller E until the stud e reaches the seat 2 the spring F is forced back into contact with the cup (1. A wire, I, being one of lhe main-circuit wires,

isattached by a bimling-screw, .l, to a metal lug, j, extending downward from said nonconducting disk G. A metallic screw, j, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) extends upward through said disk from said lug to the metallic tubular case 0.

The plate f is provided with a lateral lug, f 3

having a binding-screw, -I', for holding one end of a wire, I. The other end of said 'wire is attached to a metallic plate, N, by a bindingscrew, J This plate is attached to disk G, and is similar to plate f, already mentioned, but has no electric communication therewith except through wire I. The middle part of this wire is wound to form a resistance-coil, 0, for which any other suitable resistance may be substituted. The other main-circuit wire, 1 is connected to post N by the said bindingscrew J \Vhen the'stud e is in the seat 2, as above described, an electric circuit is established from the main wire I, through lug j, screw j,

case 0, to incandescent wire B, one end of which is in contact with said case, and cup 0- in contact with the other end of said incandescent wire; thence through spring F, plate f, lateral lug f, and resistance-wire I to the other main-circuit wire, I

K designates a supplemental closing spring shorter than F and arranged directly behind it. The upper end of this spring is arranged to be forced back against a conducting-plate, L, when sufficient pressure is applied. This plate L is attached to plate f, but insulated therefrom by a nonconducting sheet, M. Plate L is connected to plate N by alaterallyextending thread, Z, of metal.

hen the stud e is in seat 2, as aforesaid, the pressure on spring K is not sufficientto make a contact between it and plate L; but when the circuit-controller E is turned, so as to move the stud e from recess 2 to the recess 3, nearer the center of the lai'np-socket, there is necessarily a corresponding inward motion of said circuit-controller, and the upper end of spring K is forced against plate L. Two circuits are then open, the one before described and the one through wire I, lug j, screw j, case C,wire B, cup a, and spring F to spring K, which is'permanently in contact therewith; thence through plate L and metallic thread Z to lug N and the main-circuit wire I As this latter circuit avoids the resistance- BEST AVAILABLE COP wi re I and its coil 0, it is the line of least resistance and will be that followed by the electric current. The lessening of resistance will increase the brilliancy of the light, so that when the stud e is in its most inward seat, relatively to the center of the socket, the lightwill be at its maximum. The seat is marked 3 on the present drawings; but additional intermediate degrees of brilliancymay be provided for, requiring an increase in the number of seats.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire-to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a grooved fixed sleeve having seats 2 and 3,;a circuit-controller, E, having rotary and longitudinal motion therein and provided with a stud adapted to occupy at will either of said seats, andniov ing from one to the other in the groove of said sleeve, tan springs arran ed the one behind the other in front of the inner end of said circuit-eontrollerin order that one springonly may be forced back when the stud of the circuitc'ontr'oller occupies seat '2, but both. springs may be forced back when said'stud occupies seat 3, metallic parts which make contact with said springs when thus forcedba'ck,

and conductors forming circuits of different degrees of resistance which are elo'sedbysiich contact, substantially as set forth.

2. The circuit-controller E, having stud e, in combination with a fixed grooved sleeve having seats 1, 2, and 3, arranged assh'own, the circuit-closing springs F and K, the plate L, arranged for contact with the latter, acup, (1, arranged for contact with spring F, the three wires I I I and the electric connections between them and the other parts above stated, making at will the circuit through the resistance-wire I, or the circuit independent of said wire I, as set forth. I

In testimony whereof we have hereunto silhscribed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM F, \Y'OLLI-N. ELMER H. \VERLINE.

Witnesses:

N. J. BLAcKwooD, J. S. BITNER. 

